BrittainT.Stephenson
Mostly New Member
Hello everyone, first an introduction. I had fish from about the age of 7 though about 18... As far as I can remember the same 3 fish, 1 plant and somewhere between 1-1000 snails that invaded my tank, exploded in population and then all died leaving a graveyard of shells to decorate my 10 gallon (maybe 15) tank. This was years ago and I recently decided to pick up a new tank; however it's been going poorly.
I'll start at the very beginning and i am going to struggle to remember is exorbitant detail in order to help everyone help me because I am at a loss.
Approximately July 10.
I go to petco and purchase a Fluval Spec V (5 gallon) http
/www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/fluval-spec-v-aquarium-kit-in-black, some aquarium rocks, some aquarium sand, 4 plants, Omega 1 tropical pellets, API tap water conditioner.
I go home wash my sand and rocks with water until it is rinsed, add it to my tank then fill my tank with water using the water conditioner as directed.
Approximately July 13
Unbeknownst to me I foolishly pick up a Dwarf Guami, 3 guppies, and 2 amano shrimp. I did not know about the nitrogen cycle and the person that sold me the tank apparently didn't either or he would've known that I shouldn't have been buying fish. I am sure you can all guess what happened.
Less than 4 hours after adding fish I lose one amano shrimp, 2 hours after I lose the second. (No symptoms they are simply active then all of a sudden dead) I am assuming this is ammonia poisoning from an un-cycled tank. Shame on me. Over the next 5 days or so I lose the next three guppies, I perform a few water changes here and there if I remember right and the guami carries on. All the guppies died with no symptoms either (unless you want to call staying near the top a symptom - I just assumed they never got comfortable) (Actually on second thought they did occasionally venture to the bottom and middle but not like in the store.) The one Guami is fine.
July 20
Big green algae bloom - deal with mostly by scraping tank walls and vacuuming. (added aqueon algae remover didn't do anything.)
July 27
After continuing to do water changes of approx 1 gallon every 4-5 days I manage to find time to go back to the store. I brought a sample and as I suspected my ammonia was high (probably would've been off the charts but I had since done many water changes) They reimburse me for my fish and I stock my tank with 1 more guami and 2 guppies, 1 shrimp 1 small nerite snail and a bristlenose. It is at this point that I learn about the nitrogen cycle. (Sigh*) The snail never moved after it was purchased so it either died the second it touched my water or before it made it home. The shrimp died again in hours. 2 days later both guppies died overnight.
Added DrTims Live nitrifying bacteria
I am left with 2 guami and 1 bristlenose for maybe 3 weeks. I think finally this whole terrible ordeal is over, the bristlenose is slowly but surely battling the algae and the guamis while the sorta just lazily swim around are eating and look healthy. (You can tell that one of them has really seen some poop though)
Then all of a sudden a guami dies.
The next day the other dies.
At this point and previously I am doing a water change every 4 days of 1 gallon. (making sure temp is good, and it is conditioned)
So now we have one Bristle nose (Batman) and he's cool but he needs some friends I take the water (mind you right after the guamis die) get it tested and it is very good. the only thing off is it's like a 7.1 for pH but that shouldn't really matter. So I get two platy's
They are small and they are pretty so I think okay, hardy fish, smaller than the guamis so less bioload on what is testing as ideal water conditions. When I added them (20 minutes after letting them acclimate to the temp) to the tank though they sorta just swam around the bottom, or mostly just sat on the bottom. They never ate or acted interested in food. Woke up to two dead platys and a dead bristlenose 3 days later.
Very upset I went back in with water and it tested well yet again, ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, pH, hardness, chlorides, all good. I ranted about everything with another associate. He has a 5 gallon. What he told me to do was take the tank water level way low (Not entirely empty, clean all my plants to help remove the blue algae and even mentioned getting my tank temp down to help control the algae and to stock with spring water.
So that Friday I went home drained the tank down to about 20% water, refilled with conditioned tap water drained again (had to do it twice to get all the algae cleaned) then added 1 gallon spring water. (this should leave us with 1 part bottled spring water and 1 part conditioned tap water.) I removed the plants and cleaned them thoroughly with my hands rubbing all the algae off. Let them sit in separate tap water for a day. Until I was satisfied that algae had subsided. Saturday I added my plants and a 1 gallon *Frozen* jug of water just to keep temps down and I added a 1 gallon liquid to the tank keeping the tank in the low 50s F for 5 days until I was satisfied that the algae was sorta under control. Also add a little more Dr.Tims nitrifying bacteria to ensure everything is still good and cycled.
Wait a day for temps to rise to normal. My tanks temp fluctuates 75-78 maybe dropping to 73 on the worst nights (I sleep with open windows)
Friday again I go in with water. Which obviously checks out as perfect and I brainstorm about what to put in. --- Finally the associate has a good idea. "Hey you know I could just give you a couple feeder fish until you know what you want"
I think this is a great idea, I'll have two little test dummies.
So I get two comets or whatever they are called let them acclimate for 20 minutes to the temp cut open the bag to add all the water and the fish to the tank. They immediately go chill at the bottom and aren't too active. (Temp is 76)
They are dead the next morning.
1 week later (Yesterday) I do the exact same thing perfect water, I haven't done any changes in the past week this time. When I added them they behaved similarly to the others hanging out on the bottom, not swimming much. Today when I came home they seemed okay but after about a total of 20 hours in tank the first one is dead. The second was swimming like it was drunk bumping into stuff doing roles for no reason. They never ate anything and now about 26 hours after introduction to the tank they are both dead.
I am at a loss, the store is at a loss.
Please please please help.
I'll start at the very beginning and i am going to struggle to remember is exorbitant detail in order to help everyone help me because I am at a loss.
Approximately July 10.
I go to petco and purchase a Fluval Spec V (5 gallon) http
/www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/fluval-spec-v-aquarium-kit-in-black, some aquarium rocks, some aquarium sand, 4 plants, Omega 1 tropical pellets, API tap water conditioner. I go home wash my sand and rocks with water until it is rinsed, add it to my tank then fill my tank with water using the water conditioner as directed.
Approximately July 13
Unbeknownst to me I foolishly pick up a Dwarf Guami, 3 guppies, and 2 amano shrimp. I did not know about the nitrogen cycle and the person that sold me the tank apparently didn't either or he would've known that I shouldn't have been buying fish. I am sure you can all guess what happened.
Less than 4 hours after adding fish I lose one amano shrimp, 2 hours after I lose the second. (No symptoms they are simply active then all of a sudden dead) I am assuming this is ammonia poisoning from an un-cycled tank. Shame on me. Over the next 5 days or so I lose the next three guppies, I perform a few water changes here and there if I remember right and the guami carries on. All the guppies died with no symptoms either (unless you want to call staying near the top a symptom - I just assumed they never got comfortable) (Actually on second thought they did occasionally venture to the bottom and middle but not like in the store.) The one Guami is fine.
July 20
Big green algae bloom - deal with mostly by scraping tank walls and vacuuming. (added aqueon algae remover didn't do anything.)
July 27
After continuing to do water changes of approx 1 gallon every 4-5 days I manage to find time to go back to the store. I brought a sample and as I suspected my ammonia was high (probably would've been off the charts but I had since done many water changes) They reimburse me for my fish and I stock my tank with 1 more guami and 2 guppies, 1 shrimp 1 small nerite snail and a bristlenose. It is at this point that I learn about the nitrogen cycle. (Sigh*) The snail never moved after it was purchased so it either died the second it touched my water or before it made it home. The shrimp died again in hours. 2 days later both guppies died overnight.
Added DrTims Live nitrifying bacteria
I am left with 2 guami and 1 bristlenose for maybe 3 weeks. I think finally this whole terrible ordeal is over, the bristlenose is slowly but surely battling the algae and the guamis while the sorta just lazily swim around are eating and look healthy. (You can tell that one of them has really seen some poop though)
Then all of a sudden a guami dies.
The next day the other dies.
At this point and previously I am doing a water change every 4 days of 1 gallon. (making sure temp is good, and it is conditioned)
So now we have one Bristle nose (Batman) and he's cool but he needs some friends I take the water (mind you right after the guamis die) get it tested and it is very good. the only thing off is it's like a 7.1 for pH but that shouldn't really matter. So I get two platy's
They are small and they are pretty so I think okay, hardy fish, smaller than the guamis so less bioload on what is testing as ideal water conditions. When I added them (20 minutes after letting them acclimate to the temp) to the tank though they sorta just swam around the bottom, or mostly just sat on the bottom. They never ate or acted interested in food. Woke up to two dead platys and a dead bristlenose 3 days later.
Very upset I went back in with water and it tested well yet again, ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, pH, hardness, chlorides, all good. I ranted about everything with another associate. He has a 5 gallon. What he told me to do was take the tank water level way low (Not entirely empty, clean all my plants to help remove the blue algae and even mentioned getting my tank temp down to help control the algae and to stock with spring water.
So that Friday I went home drained the tank down to about 20% water, refilled with conditioned tap water drained again (had to do it twice to get all the algae cleaned) then added 1 gallon spring water. (this should leave us with 1 part bottled spring water and 1 part conditioned tap water.) I removed the plants and cleaned them thoroughly with my hands rubbing all the algae off. Let them sit in separate tap water for a day. Until I was satisfied that algae had subsided. Saturday I added my plants and a 1 gallon *Frozen* jug of water just to keep temps down and I added a 1 gallon liquid to the tank keeping the tank in the low 50s F for 5 days until I was satisfied that the algae was sorta under control. Also add a little more Dr.Tims nitrifying bacteria to ensure everything is still good and cycled.
Wait a day for temps to rise to normal. My tanks temp fluctuates 75-78 maybe dropping to 73 on the worst nights (I sleep with open windows)
Friday again I go in with water. Which obviously checks out as perfect and I brainstorm about what to put in. --- Finally the associate has a good idea. "Hey you know I could just give you a couple feeder fish until you know what you want"
I think this is a great idea, I'll have two little test dummies.
So I get two comets or whatever they are called let them acclimate for 20 minutes to the temp cut open the bag to add all the water and the fish to the tank. They immediately go chill at the bottom and aren't too active. (Temp is 76)
They are dead the next morning.
1 week later (Yesterday) I do the exact same thing perfect water, I haven't done any changes in the past week this time. When I added them they behaved similarly to the others hanging out on the bottom, not swimming much. Today when I came home they seemed okay but after about a total of 20 hours in tank the first one is dead. The second was swimming like it was drunk bumping into stuff doing roles for no reason. They never ate anything and now about 26 hours after introduction to the tank they are both dead.
I am at a loss, the store is at a loss.
Please please please help.
/dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1843211/Water%20test.png
